Instructions for Brewing Tea

True tea (Black, Green, Oolong, and White) which are from the camellia sinensis plant, and the Rooibos and Herbal and the Fruit teas (Tisanes), each requires a slightly different brewing method.

How you brew your cup of tea is a matter of personal taste, although there are a few guide lines to follow in order to have a fantastic cup of tea that will leave you wanting more, as well as appreciating the effort that has gone into the harvesting of the beautiful tea leaves from countries far away.

Now for the tea, use freshly run cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off the kettle or remove the tea kettle off the stove as soon as the water boils, or it becomes de-oxygenated and the resulting tea brewed will be less bright in flavour.

Warm the teapot or teacup, if using an infuser, by swilling hot water around the inside, then pouring away just before adding the tea.

Brewing Caffeinated Teas

Black Tea - 1 rounded teaspoon of whole leaf tea per cup. Steep for 2-5 minutes at 195F. To bring the kettle down to195 F take off the heat approximately 2 minutes. It is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea 'straight-up'. Milk and sugar are recommended with this tea. If adding milk or cream to your tea, a longer brew time is recommended. Caffeine in grams per cup - 40

Green Tea -1 rounded teaspoon of whole leaf tea per cup. Steep tea for 2-3 minutes at 175F. To bring the kettle down to 175F take off the heat approximately 5 minutes. Milk or sugar will mask the delicate characters of this tea and are not recommended. Caffeine in grams per cup - 20

Oolong Tea -1 rounded teaspoon of whole leaf tea per cup. Oolongs teas are best enjoyed when the leaves are briefly infused with hot water, which is then poured off. The tea is then steeped for the recommended time or to your personal taste. The leaves may be re-infused several times, with each resulting infusion yielding different liquor from the proceeding cup. Steep tea for 3-4 minutes at 175F. To bring the kettle down to 175F take off the heat approximately 5 minutes. Milk or sugar will mask the delicate characters of this tea and are not recommended. Caffeine in grams per cup - 30

White Tea -1 rounded teaspoon of whole leaf tea per cup. This tea can be used repeatedly (à la chinoise) - about 3 times. Steep for 1-3 minutes at 180F, to bring the kettle down to 180F take off the heat approximately 4 minutes. Milk or sugar will mask the delicate characters of this tea and are not recommended. Caffeine in grams per cup - 20

Brewing caffeine Free Teas

Rooibos – 1.5 teaspoons of tea of whole Rooibos tea per cup. Steep for 7 minutes at water straight off the boil. The great thing about Rooibos tea is you cannot over brew this tea! Even though milk and a dash of sugar may help enhance the flavour character of this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea 'straight-up'. Caffeine Free

Herbal and Fruit Tea - 1.5 teaspoons of tea of whole Herbal and Fruit tea per cup. Steep for 7 minutes at water straight off the boil. It is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea 'straight-up' and to add sugar to taste. Do not add milk - the milk will curdle.

Iced Tea

How to make the perfect cup of iced tea...

To have great ice tea, you need to start with whole-leaf tea leaves. Most iced tea start with bags of tea, which are full of tea dust rather than whole tea leaves and the quality, is just not the same.

To make great ice tea it starts the same as if you are making hot tea, just double the amount of tea brewing. An example is the measure for Black Tea it is one teaspoon per 8oz of water, therefore two teaspoons for ice tea.

Immediately after steeping your tea pour into a glass filled almost to the top with ice. The sudden cooling keeps the flavour and scent of the tea.